BMW design head joins Infiniti

Surging Japanese car-maker Nissan has announced former BMW brand design boss Karim Habib will take over the onerous task of sculpting its premium Infiniti brand.

Habib, a Pasadena Art Center College of Design graduate who also has senior Mercedes-Benz roles on his resume, will start working at the brand’s Atsugi, Japan, office in July after a period of “gardening leave”.

The poaching of the 46-year-old Habib comes after a reshuffle forced by the planned retirement of former Nissan design head Shiro Nakamura at the end of this month.

There is bound to be disappointment for those hoping Infiniti will ditch the odd surfacing and odder grille treatments that have been its hallmarks over the last few years. Current Infiniti design boss, the 52-year-old Alfonso Albaisa, will take over the top job at Nissan, with Habib reporting directly to him.

“Karim has a strong background and impressive track record in automotive design and the knowledge and mindset to develop a global premium brand,” Infiniti President Roland Krueger said.

“Design is one of the key pillars of our global brand development at Infiniti. Karim brings unique design skills that will accelerate Infiniti’s progress toward the goal of capturing and expanding our share in the global luxury market.”

The Canadian Habib has been a mentor to Australian BMW designer Calvin Luk, but the 52-year-old incumbent Adrian von Hooydonk blocked his path to the BMW Group design top job and looked set to keep blocking it for another decade.

His departure, and those of MINI design head Anders Warming (to head design at Chinese-German company Borgward) and the i division’s Benoit Jacob (to Chinese start-up Future Mobility Corp) at one point left Rolls-Royce as the only BMW Group brand with a functional head of design.

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